Catalan ex-leader Carles Puigdemont returns to Spain and vanishes again
The fugitive ex-Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont has returned to Spain despite facing an outstanding arrest warrant by the Spanish authorities and possibly facing arrest.
He arrived in Barcelona, the capital city of the prosperous region, on Thursday after a seven-year exile.
Amid a heavy presence by security forces and police roadblocks set up around Barcelona, Puigdemont appeared at a rally near the Catalan parliament.
He spoke to a crowd of thousands of supporters gathered at the iconic Arc de Triomf, telling them he aimed to revive the 2017 independence bid.
"They thought they'd be celebrating my arrest and they thought that this punishment would dissuade us, and you," he said. "Well, they are wrong."
When Puigdemont finished his speech he went backstage and vanished, leaving the police and media people unable to locate his whereabouts.
Catalan's police force has been accused by the Spanish government of having helped Puigdemont return into hiding.
Despite lawmakers having approved a bill granting amnesty to Catalan separatists, Spanish authorities say Puigdemont's arrest warrant remains in effect.
Catalonia's parliament was set to elect a new leader for the Spanish region. However, Puigdemont's return, even though he faces arrest, could derail the event.
After months of negotiations following an inconclusive May regional election, the leader of the local branch of Spain's ruling Socialists Salvador Illa was set set to become Catalonia's new leader.
Puigdemont told the crowd, "I have come here to remind you that we are still here."
“Long live free Catalonia!” Puigdemont shouted. Then, he added, “I don’t know when we will see each other again," prompting many in the crowd to chant, “Puigdemont is our president” while waving the red, yellow and blue Catalan independence flag.
In 2017, Puigdemont went into a self-imposed exile in Belgium after the independence bid failed.
The pro-independence movement in Catalonia is deep-rooted in the society and has been pursued by secessionists for centuries.
The centuries-old independence bid of the prosperous northeastern region of Catalonia remains one of Spain’s most fraught political issues to this day.
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